Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the communications art and in particular to the transfer of information by means of beams of modulated coherent neutrino and antineutrino waves between an emitter and receiver (detector).
Description of Related Art
Since Marconi first demonstrated the feasibility of communicating with electromagnetic/photon waves in the kilo-Hertz frequency region, nearly all other practically accessible portions of the photon spectrum have been utilized for the transfer of information. Easily accessible frequency regions are extremely crowded at present and many specialized techniques, such as frequency modulation, amplitude modulation, pulse-duration modulation, phase modulation, polarization modulation, and the like, have been created to effect an increase in the capacity for the simultaneous transmission of information in these heavily used photon frequency regions.
To date, only massless, neutral photons are widely used for wirelessly sending information over large distances through the atmosphere and space. Two of the other known stable elementary particles, namely protons and electrons, are generally stopped in a very short distance within the atmosphere, and thus are not generally useful for wireless communications. Transmitting information by means of composites of elementary particles, i.e. atoms and molecules, is possible; and is equivalent to transmitting sound. Unfortunately, sound is attenuated relatively strongly in the atmosphere and in solid or liquid matter. Ordinarily sound, or the transmission of atomic and molecular displacements, is only useful for the atmospheric transmission of information over medium to short distances, or coarse probing of inhomogeneities in the earth's interior.
Neutrons, which are composed of a proton and an electron, might be considered for communications, but free neutrons are heavily absorbed by nuclei present in the atmosphere, and decay into a proton, electron, and neutrino within 20 minutes.
High-energy (MeV) neutrinos, which are commonly produced by the decay of particles generated in particle accelerators and fission reactors have been suggested as possible information carriers for communication, and for in-earth radiography. However, their high production cost and their poor detectability severely limit their usefulness for communication applications.
Use of more easily detectable low-energy (sub-MeV) neutrinos generated by lasers, as disclosed here, is many times more cost-effective and useful. While some of these low-energy neutrino applications were discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,205,268 entitled “Neutrino Communication Arrangement”, issued May 27, 1980, the laser-like emitter and receiver (detector) apparatus disclosed in that patent are ineffective and inefficient.
As discussed above, other than the use of mass-less neutral photons and sound-waves, no practical low-cost wireless communication systems or earth interior probing systems using other basis carriers have been developed to date.
It is thus a first object of the present application to present an effective laser-driven low-energy neutrino emitter and receiver/detector that may be used for communication.
It is a further object of the present application to present a laser-driven low-energy neutrino emitter and receiver/detector wherein the emitter and receive/detector are configured so as to maximize the detection, with the receiver/detector, of neutrinos emitted from the emitter.